Chapter 5: Hidden Beauty

Lin Yuan would never forget the day when her mother was bedridden with a serious illness, and Lin Zhenghai brought Jiang Peiyao and her daughter to visit for the first time.

At that time, Jiang Peiyao wore a mask of kindness, smiling brightly at Lin Yuan and calling her “Xiao Yuan.”

Lin Zhenghai told Lin Yuan to call her “Auntie.”

Soon after her mother’s passing, the “Auntie” Lin Zhenghai had mentioned moved in with her daughter, Lin Fangfei, officially becoming part of the family.

Lin Zhenghai’s already scarce fatherly love for Lin Yuan was completely transferred to Lin Fangfei.

From then on, Lin Yuan was excluded from the family’s laughter and joy.

Many times, she would sneak away to watch them, a happy family of three.

Things she didn’t understand before were gradually becoming clear.

Why was her mother, who wasn’t that ill, bedridden and even dying?

Why was Lin Zhenghai so much kinder to his stepdaughter than to his own daughter?

When did Jiang Peiyao and Lin Zhenghai become involved?

It all felt like a grand conspiracy, trapping Lin Yuan tightly within it.

For years, she had a suspicion about her mother’s death, a suspicion that haunted her nights and chilled her to the bone.

It was this suspicion that drove her to try to please Lin Zhenghai and Jiang Peiyao, hoping to find a single flaw in their facade.

But all these years, she had found nothing.

Not only that, but those two heartless creatures had now set their sights on her.

Lin Yuan was living in a den of wolves, walking on eggshells.

Now, at least, she had found a reason to escape this wolf den.

In Lin Yuan’s heart, nothing could be worse than her life at the Lin residence.

Even if her man was just a construction worker…

And the man she referred to as a construction worker was currently sitting in a private room at the most luxurious hotel in Yancheng, holding a glass of Romane Conti.

His handsome face was reflected in the transparent glass, making him even more dazzling.

He was surrounded by a few men, all impeccably dressed in suits, each one handsome and distinguished.

“Third Brother, when are you going back to the capital?” An Jinghao, holding a cigarette, looked at Sheng Xiao through the smoke.

He couldn’t understand why Sheng Xiao, the powerful head of Shengshi Group, would stay in a place like Yancheng, a backwater, for so long.

His companion, Zhan Yu, chimed in, “Yeah, Third Brother, this small place doesn’t even have a decent woman, how can it be as fun as the capital?”

Sheng Xiao’s voice was lazy, “No rush.”

After so much effort to set up this play, wouldn’t it be a waste to rush back?

Zhan Yu persisted, “Third Brother, you wouldn’t be settling down in Yancheng, would you? Did you find a hidden beauty?”

An Jinghao chuckled softly. Who would hide a beauty? Sheng Xiao wouldn’t, not in a million years. All these years, he’d been celibate, with countless beautiful and wealthy women in the capital vying for his attention, but Sheng Xiao wouldn’t even look at them.

Yancheng, a small, broken place, was even less likely to have a woman worthy of Sheng Xiao’s attention.

Just as he was thinking this, a jarring ringtone suddenly echoed through the room.

The three men frowned. Zhan Yu yelled, “What’s that noise?”

Then, they saw Sheng Xiao get up, walk to the sofa on the other side, and pick up a cheap domestic phone from the corner.

He answered the call.

The phone’s volume was loud, so much so that the woman’s voice on the other end could be faintly heard.

“What time are you coming back? I’ll get dinner ready.”

Sheng Xiao: “Soon.”

“Okay, no rush.”

“Mm.”

After hanging up, Sheng Xiao went straight to the bedroom to change.

The two men left in the room looked at each other, their faces full of disbelief.

What was going on?

The woman who called Third Brother was a woman?

This was unheard of!

An Jinghao shoved Zhan Yu, “Damn, Third Brother really has a hidden beauty!”

Zhan Yu’s face was full of gossip, “I told you, what could make a man stay in one place? It must be a woman.”

They just didn’t know what kind of woman could bring the abstinent Sheng Xiao down from his pedestal.

“Her voice sounds pretty sweet.”

An Jinghao tapped his cigarette ash thoughtfully, “With Third Brother’s wealth, any woman would jump at the chance.”

As he finished speaking, Sheng Xiao came out of the bedroom, wearing a construction worker’s uniform, covered in dust, and carrying a hard hat.

He glanced at the two men, “Mind your own business, get back to the capital!”

Then he strode away.

Zhan Yu was confused, “Brother Hao, is Third Brother playing a uniform temptation game?”

An Jinghao narrowed his eyes, “It’s not a uniform temptation, I think he’s playing a prince-turned-frog game.”

Sheng Xiao left the hotel and hailed a cab home.

Fearing that Lin Yuan would see him, he stopped at the entrance of the residential complex and walked home.

As he reached the bottom floor, he happened to meet a woman who was taking out the trash.

“Oh, you’re back?”

“Yeah.”

They didn’t say anything else, walking awkwardly upstairs together.

The aroma of food filled the air as he entered the apartment. Sheng Xiao glanced at the table laden with food, his heart stirring slightly.

“You must be starving, go take a shower and change.”

Construction work was purely physical labor, and Lin Yuan automatically imagined Sheng Xiao toiling away on the construction site, a pang of sympathy in her heart.

Sheng Xiao looked at her, then turned and went into the bathroom.

At the dinner table, Lin Yuan looked at Sheng Xiao several times, hesitant to speak.

Sheng Xiao: “Something to say?”

Lin Yuan: “I went to the mall today and bought two outfits, do you want to try them on?”

This was the first time she had bought clothes for a man, and she wasn’t sure if the size and style would fit.

Sheng Xiao paused, chopsticks in hand, “What, you think my clothes are embarrassing?”

Lin Yuan quickly waved her hands, “No, it’s just that you have so few clothes in your closet, and I happened to pass by a men’s clothing store at the supermarket today, so I thought I’d get you some new clothes.”

She really didn’t think Sheng Xiao’s clothes were embarrassing. Construction workers were also earning a living through their own abilities, no different from other jobs, no stealing or robbing.

In her heart, she truly believed that work was not divided into high and low.

Her eyes were filled with sincerity as she spoke, and Sheng Xiao curled his lips, “Okay, after dinner.”

After they finished eating, Lin Yuan cleaned up the kitchen and hurried to the balcony to get the washed clothes for Sheng Xiao. “Here, go try them on.”

Sheng Xiao didn’t take the clothes, he simply took off his shirt right in front of her.

He had an amazing physique.

His strong, muscular chest was exposed to the air, the muscle texture firm, the sexy mermaid line extending from his abs to his waistline. Lin Yuan’s face flushed red.

This man’s body was too unfair!

Why was he taking off his clothes in front of her?

Lin Yuan stared at Sheng Xiao’s abs, subconsciously licking her lips, her arms involuntarily reaching out to touch the texture.